I attended a Christian university for my schooling. It was a great place to learn more about the Bible and explore the deeper truths of what it meant to live out my faith as a Jesus-follower.

One realization I had early on in my college career is that Christian universities are hot spots for theological debates. Know-It-All teenagers and in-class discussions only fuel the fire for emotional debates!

Some students and professors were quick to debate about theology, the person of Jesus, the church’s impact on history, and leadership styles that work best in the non-profit world.

I’m not going to lie, I love a good debate! My inner redneck loves seeing a battle of any kind!

In class I was the instigator who would get two or more people passionate about a topic and sit back and enjoy the fireworks!

These debates were supposed to be based on what the Bible had to say about a certain topic. But inevitably, some well meaning student would be emotionally attached to his viewpoint but couldn’t figure out where, or if, his point was backed up by Scripture.

He would finally blurt out,  “I just don’t think God would ____ (insert whatever argument he was making)!”

After a moment of silence the professor would kindly say, “Well, thanks for telling us what you think, but can we stick to what the Bible says?”

Even though I’m out of college, I still hear these words spoken by people inside and outside of the church.

“I don’t think God would______”

These statements are killing your theology (and witness):

“I don’t think that God would ______”

“I feel like God ________”

Why are these statements so dangerous and misleading? Simply put, our thoughts and feelings don’t measure up to the authority and power of God’s Word.

Our theology, the study and understanding of God, can get majorly skewed when we base our understanding on our emotions and opinions. Ultimately, what we believe about God shapes how we live. If our understanding is based on assumptions, opinions, or emotions, we run the risk of building our lives on a foundation of sand. We will never apply the Bible if we don’t know the Bible. 

Jesus said,

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

Why do some people default to saying, “I feel like God _____”? I believe there are two potential answers:

[bctt tweet=”Ultimately, what we believe about God shapes how we live. If our understanding is based on assumptions, opinions, or emotions, we run the risk of building our lives on a foundation of sand.” username=”chasesnyder12″]

“Um… I know that passage is somewhere in the Bible…”

First, I see that some people have the correct theological understanding, but they don’t know where that teaching is in the Bible. The Bible is alive and sharper than a double-edge sword (Hebrews 4:12). It is literally the words of God and is more powerful than our opinions or hopes. It is vitally important to “correctly handle the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Some who are growing in their faith may understand a biblical truth but are unable to cite where it is taught in scripture. May we all continue to increase in our understanding and application of the Bible so that we build our lives on the bedrock of Jesus’ truth.

Simply Uneducated

Secondly, others are simply ignorant about what the Bible teaches. I don’t mean to use the word “ignorant” in a degrading way. Some people are uneducated as to what the Bible teaches, who Jesus is, and what it means to live as a disciple of Jesus. Phrases like, “God helps those who help themselves,” “We are all God’s children,” and “God won’t give you more than you can handle” exist because some would rather talk about what they hope the Bible teaches rather than studying what it actually says. Forming our understanding about God based on our hopes won’t get us closer to Jesus. In fact, it will lead us further away from the Truth.

(By the way, in the coming weeks I am going to post about many common phrases that aren’t actually in the Bible.)

[bctt tweet=”Forming our understanding about God based on our hopes won’t get us closer to Jesus, in fact, it will lead us further away from the Truth. ” username=”chasesnyder12″]

Now What? 

I challenge you to take a look at your language this week and see if you are quick to say “I feel like God would____” or “I think that God would_____.”

These statements, and others like them, may be a sign that you need to bring some biblical truth to your conversations. Perhaps you are studying the Bible but you forget to explain that what you believe is rooted in the unchanging Word of God.

Maybe you use these phrases because you are unsure about what the Bible teaches. Do you struggle to read the Bible and apply truth to your life?

All of us have experienced this. The Bible can be difficult to begin reading if you don’t have a plan or guide to help you read, study, and apply the passage.

If you struggle reading and applying the Bible, check out these two new resources, Rooted and Redeemed.

These are 90-day Bible study and prayer journals that list three daily questions for you to answer as you read the Bible. The journals offer the same questions in different styles.

The best part is that you can download the PDF of Rooted for FREE forever. Simply subscribe to the blog with the form below. There is also a free 21-Day Bible Reading Plan to get you started with a daily discipline of studying the Bible.

If printing isn’t your thing, you can pick up a copy of Rooted and Redeemed online on Amazon.